KORERO FROM MIRANDA

Kia ora Rototuna e te Whānau,

新年快乐 - Xīn nián kuài lè - Happy New Year!

Welcome back to 2023 as we start Week 3 of a new school year.

A big welcome to all of our new families and welcome back to our returning families!

It has been great to have already connected with you at whānau conferences to discuss your young person's goals and get their learning programme in place. A message we have already shared is the importance of developing critical, creative and caring thinking skills so they are able to make carefully considered decisions for themselves.

We make decisions all the time, often automatically and without much thought. How many of those unconscious choices have impacted our lives without us knowing it? With a heightened awareness, as critical, creative and caring thinkers, we are able to make fewer decisions 'in the dark.' As active participants in the decision making process we are empowered to be kaihautū steering our own waka (ship).

Experts, Robert Stenberg and Diane Halpern say that “critical thinking prevents individuals from being susceptible to manipulation. Moreover, critical thinking allows people to solve problems more creatively, independently, and effectively.”

We are looking forward to working with you and your young person to develop their thinking through deep learning experiences.

In this newsletter, we congratulate our scholarship recipients and the teachers that supported them. We share some highlights from the blessing and opening of our new building. Other updates include our whare naming ceremony, cell phone changes and driving safely around school, so please read on.

I look forward to connecting with you at our upcoming events.

Until next time, stay safe and best wishes to our families celebrating the Lunar New Year.

Ngā manaakitanga

Miranda